PHILADELPHIA >> Pope Francis’ historic visit to the U.S. this week was a way to spread the Catholic church’s message about family, according to those who helped put the visit together.
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, the Rev. Federico Lombardi and the Rev. Manuel Dorantes said the same message will be the focus until he leaves Sunday night.
While they did dodge some questions about race relations, the meaning of family and whether or not the pope would visit with victims of sexual abuse within the church, the trio did their best to spread the message.
When the pope first began his “whirlwind” trip in New York he made a poignant point people should take away from this visit, Kurtz said. When speaking to the United Nations he “beautifully said ‘please be close to one another.'”
“It was a beautiful and powerful speech about the common conscience,” Kurtz said, adding he touched on everything the UN is taking up, from climate change to war to the right to life.
The “most moving” event though, he said, had to be Pope Francis at Ground Zero.
“It’s usually symbolic of sadness and fear, but it became an occasion of great hope,” Kurtz said.
The family first message continued during Francis’ stops Washington, D.C., and New York as well, Lombardi said.
“In Congress the pope spoke in a very positive way about family,” Lombardi said. “In the U.N., he spoke about human nature and the nature of men and women.”
“Family” can mean a lot of different things to different people and when confronted with a question about how the pope feels about the many different ways families can be constructed in the U.S., Lombardi somewhat dodged the question, saying he doesn’t know what the pope will say in the next few days, but Francis has “spoken about the beauty of family and how wonderful life in the Christian marriage is.”
Since the world is changing almost daily, Dorantes said one of the pope’s messages was the church “needs to respond differently and not be afraid.”
“We need to try new methods and expressions and be faithful to the church but relevant to the people,” he said.
Asked if the pope would speak about race during the weekend, Kurtz said he did touch on that already in his speech to Congress when he talked about Dr. Martin Luther King, adding he wasn’t sure if the issue would come up again. They also declined to comment on whether or not the pope would visit with victims of sexual abuse in the church.
To try and give the pope an overview of America, Lombardi said the helicopter that took him from his hotel in New York to Kennedy Airport, flew him past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. He said the pope’s decision to come to America during this time was to make sure it coincided with the World Meeting of Families, because that’s a topic near and dear to him.
This was even evident when he began his trip in Cuba and spoke about families in his homily there.
“It began with a decision to take part in the World Meeting of Families and this last stage is very important to him. The World Meeting of Families events at Independence Mall and the Parkway are of significant interest to the pope,” Lombardi said.
“Pope Francis began the papal visit (in Philadelphia) in a beautiful way,” Kurtz said. “His homily was especially insightful.”
During that homily, speaking about St. Katharine Drexel and the need for more lay people within the church, the pope asked the crowd “what are you going to do?” Kurtz said the pope’s message really hit home, reminding him why he was called to serve God, and posed a “great question for everyone today.”
“I felt like I was going back to the original call to be a priest when he said ‘What about you.’ The Holy Father tends to point us to the Lord Jesus,” Kurtz said.
Several times during the trip, Pope Francis seemed to stumble climbing steps.
“He is tired physically, but in a few days it goes away. He sleeps well and gains new energy,” Lombardi said, adding that even before he was pope he had trouble walking up stairs. “He brings this from a previous life. Some days are better, and some days are worse,” he said.
When the pope sees all the people along the street, Lombardi said he “gets swept up into it.”
“The pope does not desire to use an armored Popemobile, it doesn’t help with communication with the people because it’s like a barrier,” he said.
Lombardi made sure to take a step back to truly enjoy the pope’s messages and eagerness to visit with bystanders.
“I’ve seen his enthusiasm, and I enjoyed that I’ve had the opportunity to relax and just enjoy his presence,” he said.
As for those who are not Catholic, there is still a strong message to take away from this visit, according to Kurtz. The pope talked about the culture of care and said people will find their true identification in how they care for others. Pope Francis touched on things like the environment, the “throw away culture and consumerism” and Kurtz said most of his speeches and events were more “emotional rather than intellectual” offering something for everyone to take away.
